Health problems related to the inhalation by non-smokers of "passive smoke," or second-hand smoke, produced by smokers while they are lighting and smoking cigarettes, has been well documented and needs no further elucidation. The prior art is replete with devices that attempt to alleviate or eliminate second-hand smoke released into a surrounding atmosphere by smokers during smoking. One such device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,646, utilizes a bladder to contain exhaled smoke and prevent such from escaping into the ambient atmosphere. While suitable for its intended purpose, the bladder is cumbersome and will build up in pressure making exhalation of cigarette smoke a difficult task. To drain the bladder of exhaled smoke, a manually controllable flap must be opened, resulting in unfiltered smoke escaping to the surrounding atmosphere. Furthermore, the device allows smoke to escape when the cigarette is first lighted.
Another device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,332, filters exhaled smoke prior to releasing it to the atmosphere. While suitable for its intended purpose, the device has no means of creating the vacuum necessary to supply combustion air and pull the smoke from the lighted end through the filter. Furthermore, while using replaceable filters, the device offers no convenient way to maintain the inside of its body, which will eventually build up a tar residue from repeated use. Also, the user must utilize two mouthpieces alternately and tip the device between inhalation and exhalation, making its use cumbersome. Finally, the device does not prevent smoke from escaping when the cigarette is first lighted.
Other patents that disclose devices showing approaches to solving the above stated problem include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,200,114, 4,066,088, 4,369,798 and 4,083,374.
A need exists for a device for use by smokers which reduces pollution released into the ambient air by smoking and which conveniently uses a single mouthpiece for easy use. It would be beneficial if the device were to allow the cigarette to be lighted and smoked entirely within the device, so that only a minimal amount of the resulting smoke passes out of the device without first being filtered. It would further be desirable if, in such a device, the smoke from the burning end of the cigarette were actively drawn through the device's filtration system and exhausted into ambient air. This would also draw in the necessary combustion air. It would further be desirable if the device provided an inexpensive and conveniently replaceable cartridge within which tar and ash from repeated use could be contained and easily disposed. Another advantage would be provided if the cartridge contained the device's filtration system so that the filtration system could simultaneously be conveniently and inexpensively replaced.